Yellow House Draw
Encyclopedia
Yellow House Draw is an ephemeral watercourse about 130 km (80.8 mi) long, heading about 21 km (13 mi) north of Morton, Texas
, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado
to the city of Lubbock where it joins Blackwater Draw
to form Yellow House Canyon
at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
. It stretches across Bailey
, Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock counties of West Texas
and drains an area of 9790 km² (3,779.9 sq mi).
, an important archeological site and natural history preserve, is located in a meander of Yellow House Draw in the city of Lubbock, Texas
. Native Americans
and early settlers of the Llano Estacado
used the springs in the draw until they went dry in the early 1930s due to excessive pumping of the Ogallala Aquifer
. In 1936, the City of Lubbock dredged the meander in an effort to make it a usable water supply. These efforts were unsuccessful, but brought to light the archeological significance of the site. Today, there is very little standing water and no actual lake but the site has become an important archeological landmark.
, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. The Canyon Lakes park offers scenic views and recreational opportunities, and they also function as an essential part of Lubbock's wastewater disposal system. First, the city applies treated wastewater to crops at the Lubbock Land Application Site – a 6000 acres (24.3 km²) site located east of the City of Lubbock. Here, 31 center pivot sprinkler systems are used to irrigate crops with 13 million gallons of treated effluent per day. The soils and sediments of the Land Application Site act as filters as the treated wastewater percolates through the soil. To minimize contamination of the Ogallala Aquifer
, groundwater is then pumped from beneath the Land Application Site to Canyon Lakes, where the water flows from one lake to the next and eventually into Yellow House Canyon
, forming the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River.
Morton, Texas
Morton is a town in Cochran County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,249 at the 2000 census. The population has been in steady decline since the 1960s and is estimated to have dropped by approximately 15% from the 2000 number when the 2010 Census is completed. Morton is the county seat of...
, and tending generally east-southeastward across the Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
to the city of Lubbock where it joins Blackwater Draw
Blackwater Draw
Blackwater Draw is a dry stream channel about long, heading in Curry County, New Mexico, about southwest of Texico, New Mexico and trending generally southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, Texas, where it joins Yellow House Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of...
to form Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
at the head of the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River is an ephemeral, sandy-braided stream about long, heading on the Llano Estacado of West Texas about southeast of Tahoka, Texas, flowing east-northeast across the western Rolling Plains to join the Salt Fork, forming the Brazos River about west-northwest of...
. It stretches across Bailey
Bailey County, Texas
Bailey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 7,165. Its county seat is Muleshoe. Bailey is named for Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo...
, Cochran, Hockley, and Lubbock counties of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
and drains an area of 9790 km² (3,779.9 sq mi).
Lubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake LandmarkLubbock Lake Landmark
Lubbock Lake Landmark, also known as Lubbock Lake Site, is an important archeological site and natural history preserve in the city of Lubbock, Texas. The preserve is 336 acres and is a protected state and federal landmark. There is evidence of ancient people and extinct animals at Lubbock Lake...
, an important archeological site and natural history preserve, is located in a meander of Yellow House Draw in the city of Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and early settlers of the Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
used the springs in the draw until they went dry in the early 1930s due to excessive pumping of the Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States...
. In 1936, the City of Lubbock dredged the meander in an effort to make it a usable water supply. These efforts were unsuccessful, but brought to light the archeological significance of the site. Today, there is very little standing water and no actual lake but the site has become an important archeological landmark.
Canyon Lakes
Also within the city limits of Lubbock, the parks department has constructed a series of narrow lakes partly within Yellow House Draw and partly within Yellow House CanyonYellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. The Canyon Lakes park offers scenic views and recreational opportunities, and they also function as an essential part of Lubbock's wastewater disposal system. First, the city applies treated wastewater to crops at the Lubbock Land Application Site – a 6000 acres (24.3 km²) site located east of the City of Lubbock. Here, 31 center pivot sprinkler systems are used to irrigate crops with 13 million gallons of treated effluent per day. The soils and sediments of the Land Application Site act as filters as the treated wastewater percolates through the soil. To minimize contamination of the Ogallala Aquifer
Ogallala Aquifer
The Ogallala Aquifer, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, is a vast yet shallow underground water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States...
, groundwater is then pumped from beneath the Land Application Site to Canyon Lakes, where the water flows from one lake to the next and eventually into Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
, forming the North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River.
See also
- Yellow House CanyonYellow House CanyonYellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
- Blackwater DrawBlackwater DrawBlackwater Draw is a dry stream channel about long, heading in Curry County, New Mexico, about southwest of Texico, New Mexico and trending generally southeastward across the Llano Estacado to the city of Lubbock, Texas, where it joins Yellow House Draw to form Yellow House Canyon at the head of...
- List of rivers of Texas
- Llano EstacadoLlano EstacadoLlano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...